Preformed hot-melt sealant strip

Abstract

A preformed or prefabricated hot melt sealant strip of essentially any desired length and with any desired cross-sectional configuration is formed by hot extrusion, cooled, and coiled or spooled and may be subsequently used, for example, as a sealing means in the assembly of multiglazed windows, to seal and set automobile windshields and the like. The preferred cross-section is U-shaped if the sealant strip is to be utilized for multiglazed windows but the strip may have a T, E, L shape, or the like, depending on the intended end use. Any hot melt adhesive or sealant composition is suitable as long as it is not too tacky in the cooled state. Some tackiness is acceptable but it requires the use of an abherent or release liner if the strip is to be packaged in such a manner that it is in contact with itself. The sealant strip may then be placed about a dessicant filled spacer element and located between two panes of glass. The sealant may then be activated by subjection to thermal energy to seal the unit.

Description